Calling someone a "shrimp" is normally seen as an insult, implying that someone is small and weak. Because everyone knows that shrimp are small and weak, right?

In reality, it turns out that there are a lot of shrimp species that may be small, but are far from weak. There are a number of shrimp that are some of the most amazing, badass creatures in the sea.

The Pistol Shrimp (also called the Snapping Shrimp) is a common name for a family of shrimp called Alpheidae, within which you will find 620 species that all share one thing in common -- the ability to murder other animals without even touching them. And that's just one part of what makes them awesome.

Pistol Shrimp can be found in tropical and temperate oceans throughout the world, especially in coral reefs, seagrass flats, and oyster reefs. Some species even live in cold oceans and freshwater caves. They are rather small, measuring a mere one or two inches, but they possess a disproportionately huge claw.

While one of the shrimp's claws will be a normal small size, the other claw is nearly as big as the shrimp's body. Perhaps the shrimp worked out only one arm for most of its life, and the result is a huge superclaw that can do something astounding.

The shrimp hunts by waiting in a hiding place until a small fish or other small crustacean happens by. It will then reveal itself and take aim with its superclaw. The claw cocks open at a right angle due to a specialized joint, and then snaps shut with such incredible force that a high speed bubble shoots out of the claw and strikes its prey with enough power to knock it unconscious or kill it outright.

That's right. The Pistol Shrimp is the fastest draw in the west, and has the finest gun to boot.

The bubble shoots out at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour through the water, and unleashes a sound that reaches 218 decibels. The sound is so loud that it competes with the goddamn sperm whale for loudest animal in the ocean. When groups of Pistol Shrimp are hunting in the same area, the combined clatter will disrupt sonar and underwater communication. This tiny creature is considered a major source of marine noise.

You might wonder how loud 218 decibels is. A lawnmower reaches 90 decibels, a loud rock concert or a jet engine will hit 120 decibels, and a gunshot can be 140 decibels. Any sound above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss. Sounds above 140 decibels can damage your ears and cause actual pain. And the shrimp's claw-shot is 218 decibels of brain-melting sonic power.

The bubble that shoots from the claw collapses with such power that it momentarily reaches a temperature of 4700 degrees Celsius, which is almost as hot as the surface of the sun (5500 degrees Celsius). It produces a tiny flash of light, just like a gunshot.

(Bonus fact: for a time this was the only known instance of an animal producing light by the power of its own motions. However, it was later discovered that another completely different type of shrimp can also do this. The Mantis Shrimp has a big club for a claw, and it can punch so incredibly quickly with this arm that it produces the same sort of light. Since I won't be doing a separate post on Mantis Shrimp, chew on this: the club-claw of a Mantis Shrimp can be swung at speeds of 23 metres per second, the same as a .22 calibre bullet.)

After killing or stunning another animal with its claw-shot, the Pistol Shrimp will gather it up, go back into hiding, and feast away. No fuss, no muss. Just ... bang, you're done for.

And that's not even the end of it. If by some unhappy chance some predator manages to get close to the Pistol Shrimp and rip off its gun-claw, the Pistol Shrimp will laugh, sneer, and turn its other, smaller claw into a new gun-claw. The small claw will simply grow into a big gun-claw, and the severed claw will grow back as a new small claw. It simply switches hands, and then draws from the other side.

Because their awesomeness knows no limits, the Pistol Shrimp has also been observed in some very unique behaviours. Some species of Pistol Shrimp live in a close relationship with goby fishes. They share a burrow together, which is built by the shrimp while the fish performs guard duty. When both shrimp and fish are outside, they stay in close contact. The goby has better eyesight, and if it sees danger it will make a special secret tail motion for the shrimp. They will both run back into their burrow together.

Another sub-type of Pistol Shrimp lives in groups that are remeniscent of ants or bees. They have a queen that gives birth to the entire shrimp colony, and they are divided into workers and soldiers, each performing different roles for the group.

Now you've just envisioned an army of soldier Pistol Shrimp, each with a huge super-claw cocked back and ready to unleash an unstoppable volley of sonic force and superheated bubbles. And it was awesome.